Accessible Britain

Recommendations

Info

THE EAST MIDLANDS AND EAST ANGLIA Close to the cathedral, on Market Street, is Ely Museum (01353 666655; www. elymuseum.org.uk), in an old building that served as the town’s jail from 1679 to 1836. Its lively exhibits focus on local history, from prehistoric times up to World War II, and some of the old prison cells have been restored to their original appearance. There’s level access through automatic doors, a stair lift to the first floor and a hearing loop at reception. The museum is also the site of the Ely Shopmobility scheme (01353 666655), where you can borrow powered scooters. Also worth a look-in is Oliver Cromwell’s House (01353 662062; visitely.eastcambs. gov.uk), on St Mary’s Street, where the controversial parliamentarian lived for ten years before he became Lord Protector of England. Part of the house is occupied by the tourist information centre, while the rest is a museum, furnished to recreate the look and feel of a seventeenth-century home, with some fascinating exhibits on Cromwell’s life, death and the English Civil War. There’s wheelchair access to the parlour and kitchen on the ground floor, but the first floor can only be accessed via stairs. In general, Ely’s compact centre is easy enough to navigate in a wheelchair, and there’s a level, accessible footpath skirting the edge of the River Ouse, too, which runs through the town. There’s a decent supply of Blue Badge bays around town, including on the high street, Market Street, Minster Place and Newnham Street, and there are handy long-stay car parks on Newnham Street and Barton Road, both with designated disabled spaces and a RADAR key-accessible toilet. Other centrally located accessible toilets include those at the Cloisters shopping centre, just off Market Square, and at Sacrist Gate, by the side of the cathedral. 069 Southwold Pier, Suffolk Address: North Parade, Southwold IP18 6BN Web: www.southwoldpier.co.uk Tel: 01502 722105 Hours: times vary according to weather and season; check website for details Dates: closed Dec 25 Entry: free As you would expect, <strong>Britain</strong>’s only twenty-first-century pier is a thoroughly accessible place to visit. Southwold Pier was actually built at the beginning of the twentieth century, but storms, drifting sea mines and World War II each played a hand in its destruction and subsequent reconstructions. The latest, and hopefully final rebuild was completed in 2001. Southwold is as charmingly English a seaside town as you could hope for, and the award-winning pier makes the perfect introduction, commanding views of the picturepostcard colourful beach huts, golden sands and bustling harbour. Traditional fun is the name of the game in the amusement arcade on the pier. Not quite so tasteful is the wacky Under the Pier Show, which is packed with a selection of obscure, hand-built games ideal for fun-loving visitors of all ages. Some of the machines require a fair degree of physical participation, so aren’t suitable for everyone, but there are lots to choose from. To take on the challenge of the cheeky but entertaining Mobility Masterclass, you’ll need to be able to manage one step up and to stand while manoeuvring an unsteady platform. The three accessible shops are crammed with jewellery, gifts and works by local artists. There are four disabled parking bays directly outside the arcade and 21 more in the public car park nearby. A RADAR key-accessible toilet is nearby, and there are also disabled toilets in The Boardwalk restaurant on the pier. With level decking out- 84
Southwold Pier side and in all the facilities, it’s a smooth experience for visitors in wheelchairs and powered scooters. It gets breezy, though, so those on foot will appreciate the windprotected seats where you can simply sit and soak up the sights and sounds of the seaside. FOOD & DRINK aa You can buy locally produced ice cream on the pier, or eat at The Beach Café, which serves fish and chips to eat in or take-away, or the fully licensed Clockhouse, or The Boardwalk, which serves meals cooked with local produce. 070 Brixworth Country Park, Northamptonshire Address: Northampton Road, Brixworth NN6 9DG Web: www.northamptonshire.gov.uk Tel: 01604 8839478 Hours: car park daily 9am–5pm; toilets daily 7am–7pm; shop daily 10am–4pm Dates: car park closed 25 Dec; shop closed 25–27 Dec Entry: free; car park £2.60 THE EAST MIDLANDS AND EAST ANGLIA Set in the heart of beautiful rural Northamptonshire, Brixworth Country Park is a national showpiece for an accessible countryside. This small yet perfectly formed park offers great possibilities if you want to picnic, walk, push or cycle in woodland, meadow and stunning reservoir surroundings. There are three short circular routes round the park – Kestrel, Lapwing and Skylark – all signed and colour-coded and ranging from 550 yards to just over a mile. The paths are hard surfaced, with some undulations but no steep gradients, so regular wheelchair users should be able to manage independently or with a little assistance. You can stroll quietly through the woods and meadows, or pause to watch from the accessible viewing hide, where you may catch a glimpse of wildlife, including foxes, squirrels, waterfowl and woodland birds. For a more challenging half-day adventure, the walking routes also give access to a 7.5-mile circuit around the Pitsford Reservoir. 85
Page 1 and 2:
THE ROUGH GUIDE to Accessible Brita
Page 3 and 4:
Enjoy even more fun, family days ou
Page 5 and 6:
Contents Click on any chapter to go
Page 7 and 8:
About this book Designed to be good
Page 9 and 10:
HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS IWM Duxford (E.
Page 11 and 12:
Brockholes Nature Reserve (Northwes
Page 13 and 14:
London 001 The Roundhouse 002 Wembl
Page 15 and 16:
It’s the colour of the pitch - su
Page 17 and 18:
On the site of the London 2012 Olym
Page 19 and 20:
LONDON ZSL London Zoo FOOD & DRINK
Page 21 and 22:
The tour starts in the MCC Museum w
Page 23 and 24:
LONDON Royal Opera House FOOD & DRI
Page 25 and 26:
LONDON London Transport Museum ther
Page 27 and 28:
Ideas aa Art and sculpture Tate St
Page 29 and 30:
016 Westminster Abbey Address: 20 D
Page 31 and 32:
hop-on/hop-off at any stop along th
Page 33 and 34: the Painted Hall and chapel. There
Page 35 and 36: 023 Horniman Museum and Gardens Add
Page 37 and 38: 024 Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire
Page 39 and 40: Parents of any disabled child will
Page 41 and 42: If you’d rather go sightseeing, h
Page 43 and 44: FOOD & DRINK aa The sizeable Studio
Page 45 and 46: In 1842, when the young Charles Dar
Page 47 and 48: grotto and birds of prey centre 10a
Page 49 and 50: populated by grazing sheep and the
Page 51 and 52: available on request, subject to av
Page 53 and 54: Beach: Address: The Estate Office,
Page 55 and 56: Emirates Spinnaker Tower THE SOUTHE
Page 57 and 58: 043 Brunel’s SS Great Britain, Br
Page 59 and 60: and the tidal pools, as well as aro
Page 61 and 62: centre whose residents range from d
Page 63 and 64: Temple of Flora and Palladian Bridg
Page 65 and 66: 051 Haldon Forest Park, Devon Addre
Page 67 and 68: you can pre-book bikes with trailer
Page 69 and 70: Weymouth and Portland National Sail
Page 71 and 72: Octavia the octopus always draws a
Page 73 and 74: Trengwainton Garden THE SOUTHWEST p
Page 75 and 76: Lincoln Cathedral 059 Lincoln Cathe
Page 77 and 78: Ideas aa Animal sanctuaries Bolderw
Page 79 and 80: Holkham Hall Reserve: in summer you
Page 81 and 82: FOOD & DRINK aa The T&D café bar o
Page 83: a wheelchair, while benches provide
Page 87 and 88: Wicken Fen is one of Britain’s ol
Page 89 and 90: depending on what you most fancy se
Page 91 and 92: field Cavendish AM LE field Pentlow
Page 93 and 94: floor has a large step up to it, bu
Page 95 and 96: M6 M1 Barrow-in-Furness The West Mi
Page 97 and 98: A619 080 Peak District Scenic Drive
Page 99 and 100: a boat across it or admire it from
Page 101 and 102: 084 RAF Museum Cosford, Shropshire
Page 103 and 104: Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museu
Page 105 and 106: FOOD & DRINK aa The on-site café i
Page 107 and 108: Severn Valley Railway Northwood), a
Page 109 and 110: 091 Royal Shakespeare Company, Warw
Page 111 and 112: Hereford Cathedral FOOD & DRINK aa
Page 113 and 114: WWT Slimbridge mile. To take the wh
Page 115 and 116: M18 The Northwest MID LOTHIAN Berwi
Page 117 and 118: South of Grasmere you’ll pass the
Page 119 and 120: it’s a fairly steep hundred-yard
Page 121 and 122: 103 Brockholes Nature Reserve, Lanc
Page 123 and 124: Southport Pier 105 Airkix Indoor Sk
Page 125 and 126: the whole site (even the sewer syst
Page 127 and 128: installations in a converted docksi
Page 129 and 130: Anderton Boat Lift Blue Badge holde
Page 131 and 132: M18 The Northeast and Yorkshire 113
Page 133 and 134: smooth, solid surfaces, although it
Page 135 and 136:
Designed by Sir Norman Foster, the
Page 137 and 138:
fully accessible bus, with a wheelc
Page 139 and 140:
efreshments, call in at the friendl
Page 141 and 142:
Betty’s Tea Rooms, Harrogate If y
Page 143 and 144:
Roundhay Park of here sits The Mans
Page 145 and 146:
(book in advance). The museum has a
Page 147 and 148:
Yorkshire Wildlife Park 128 Magna S
Page 149 and 150:
Families are particularly well serv
Page 151 and 152:
130 Callanish Standing Stones, West
Page 153 and 154:
Fort George (twenty degrees) onto t
Page 155 and 156:
which you can reserve in advance. A
Page 157 and 158:
Sitting in the heart of the Cairngo
Page 159 and 160:
St Andrews itself isn’t easily ac
Page 161 and 162:
(with a disabled toilet) about a hu
Page 163 and 164:
all but the most limited hand funct
Page 165 and 166:
143 Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh Addres
Page 167 and 168:
provide a stunning backdrop to the
Page 169 and 170:
yards away from the house are the t
Page 171 and 172:
M6 Wales ISLE OF MAN Barrow-in-Furn
Page 173 and 174:
Electric Mountain landscape of Snow
Page 175 and 176:
153-154 Llangollen Wharf and Pontcy
Page 177 and 178:
Benar, turn off the A496 just befor
Page 179 and 180:
Celtic Quest Coasteering When swimm
Page 181 and 182:
159 Garwnant Forest Visitor Centre,
Page 183 and 184:
some of the concrete surfaces insid
Page 185 and 186:
163 Wales Millennium Centre, Cardif
Page 187 and 188:
Northern Ireland Oronsay Colonsay J
Page 189 and 190:
mobility. If you want to visit the
Page 191 and 192:
(June-Aug Sat & Sun & bank hols), a
Page 193 and 194:
the lives of more than 1500 passeng
Page 195 and 196:
Grand Opera House, Belfast with dis
Page 197 and 198:
Ulster Museum Discovery Zones - nat
Page 199 and 200:
Ideas aa Heritage Fountains Abbey (
Page 201 and 202:
Useful contacts This chapter featur
Page 203 and 204:
advice on available facilities for
Page 205 and 206:
than state what is possible. Predic
Page 207:
Credits Reviewers: Claire-Louise Ba
show all

Accessible Britain

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?